Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Ji Hanyi had never intended to take anything belonging to the Xie Family in the first place.
Her reply was crisp and unequivocal. “Rest assured, First Madam. If something isn’t mine, I won’t take it.”
Hearing herself addressed as First Madam made anger flash across Madam Lin’s face once more.
In the past, she had always regarded this daughter-in-law as obedient and rather guileless. Never had she imagined that Ji Hanyi would one day dare to take the matter to the authorities rather than give up on divorcing her son.
It wasn’t the divorce itself that rankled. What infuriated her was that Ji Hanyi had been childless for three years, so what gave her the gall to demand one? Even if there had to be a divorce, Ji Hanyi should never have been the one to propose it.
Now the whole affair had become difficult to explain. Her daughter-in-law was so determined to divorce her son that she was willing to make a public scandal of it. Although word had yet to spread beyond the estate, people inside were already whispering — especially the members of the Second Branch, who came to make barbed remarks to her almost every day.
They mocked her for guarding against Ji Hanyi at every turn, only to discover that Ji Hanyi couldn’t care less about any of it.
Worse still, the Master and Old Madam had given her a merciless dressing-down. One way or another, Madam Lin intended to vent that anger on Ji Hanyi today.
But Ji Hanyi’s utter indifference made Madam Lin’s expression twist with rage.
She spat out “fine” several times, her eyes fixed firmly on Ji Hanyi. “Didn’t you make an inventory? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take anything belonging to the Xie Family? If you truly have that much backbone, then we’ll go by your inventory today.
“Every piece of clothing, every accessory, and every article you used while in the Xie Family household belongs to the Xie Family. You may not take a single one with you.”
Li Mingrou lifted her chin and stared at Ji Hanyi. She wanted to see just how much backbone the woman truly had.
She knew Ji Hanyi owned very little herself. Everything she had worn in public over the years, all those fine clothes — hadn’t every last piece come from the Xie Family?
Could Ji Hanyi really bear to part with them?
Xie Yuheng’s gaze was also locked on Ji Hanyi. Her clothes today were unusually plain — the plainest he had ever seen her wear. She had on a pale-pink, high-collared long jacket and a goose-yellow pleated skirt embroidered in gold thread. Her only ornaments were a silver filigree hairpin and a jade-green cloud-pattern hair ornament.
Xie Yuheng had never seen this outfit before, but he knew that when Ji Hanyi left that day, she had not taken a single article of clothing or piece of jewelry. She had not even taken the jewelry he had given her. What she wore now was most likely something old from before.
His gaze fell upon her face, still as alluring as red plum blossoms against fresh snow. He wondered if she regretted leaving him now that she had to wear such simple clothes and ornaments far less exquisite and valuable than those she once possessed.
If she regretted it, he wasn’t unwilling to give her another chance. As long as she softened her attitude and agreed to accept Mingrou, he could use his connections to retrieve the Divorce Agreement from the authorities. Outsiders knew nothing about the matter yet. He could simply pretend that none of the previous incidents had ever happened.
Xie Yuheng scrutinized every expression that crossed Ji Hanyi’s face, but he saw none of the regret or sorrow he had hoped for. Her expression remained perfectly calm as she answered with a single word.
“Fine.”
His entire body went rigid, his heart clenching abruptly in his chest.
Madam Lin watched Ji Hanyi coldly. Unwilling to waste any more words, she ordered two servant women to keep an eye on her and make sure she did not take so much as one extra item.
There was nothing in the main room that Ji Hanyi wanted. She paid no attention to the two women assigned to follow her and merely took Rongchun with her toward the study at the back.
Xie Yuheng watched Ji Hanyi leave. As her graceful figure gradually receded into the distance, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
He suddenly remembered the day Marquis Shen had summoned him to an inner chamber of the Censorate.
A Divorce Agreement had been laid before him. Marquis Shen’s words had been cold and detached, and their meaning was clear: he knew what had happened, and it was the Xie Family who had broken their promise. Whether or not the matter went to court, he would uphold the divorce.
But Marquis Shen would also have to submit a memorial about what Xie Yuheng had done. If they settled the matter privately, it would remain a family affair. If they faced each other in court, it would no longer be one.
Xie Yuheng had understood the implication perfectly. He had only one choice.
He was furious. If Ji Hanyi had not made such a huge scene, she could never have left his side. He resented even more that they had encountered Marquis Shen that night. Otherwise, none of this would have happened.
For the past two days, he had thought about it constantly, unable even to sleep at night. He could not understand how things between him and Ji Hanyi had fallen apart, one step at a time, until they reached this point.
It was as though he had been trapped in a dream, only to wake and find that everything had changed.
The woman who had shared his bed had, in the blink of an eye, let all her former affection for him vanish like smoke.
His fingers tightened around the armrest. He abruptly rose and headed for the door, but Li Mingrou hurried over and caught hold of him. “Cousin, where are you going?”
Xie Yuheng looked back at Li Mingrou. She was as delicate as ever, gazing at him with worry filling her eyes. In the end, he could not bring himself to vent all the frustration in his heart on her. He merely said in a low voice, “I’m going to take a look.”
With that, he pulled his arm from her grasp.
Elsewhere, Ji Hanyi had almost nothing left to pack. She did not have many belongings to begin with, but when she was about to leave with them, the two old maidservants stopped her. Claiming they were afraid she might be taking things that did not belong to her, they demanded that every scroll be unrolled and even the case containing her writing supplies be opened for inspection.
Rongchun was so angry that she nearly burst into tears. They were plainly bullying her mistress.
It was bad enough that Ji Hanyi was not allowed to take the clothes made for her from the household’s common funds, or any of the fabrics and jewelry she had been given. Now she had to endure this humiliation as well.
She had been married into the Xie Family for three years — three years of devotion, three years of forbearance, three years of swallowing every grievance to preserve the peace. Yet in the end, the Xie Family would not leave her even a shred of dignity.
Ji Hanyi’s hand clenched, and her face turned slightly pale. Still, she endured it and told Rongchun to unroll the scrolls for the two maidservants to inspect.
When Xie Yuheng entered, he found Ji Hanyi bracing herself against the table, her face pale. She seemed to have grown thinner, yet somehow that only made her features even more captivating. He could not help walking toward her.
He asked, “Is there anything you want to say to me?”
With Xie Yuheng blocking her way, Ji Hanyi had no choice but to look up at him. There was no longer the slightest trace of hope — or any other emotion for him — in her eyes. She calmly shook her head. “No.”
They had run out of things to say long ago.
Xie Yuheng’s eyes reddened for an instant. Looking at Ji Hanyi’s unadorned appearance, without even a pair of earrings, he said, “If you want to take those clothes and jewels with you, I can allow it.”
Xie Yuheng knew that without them, Ji Hanyi would never bring herself to spend the money to replace them.
Besides, she was living under the Gu Family’s roof, dependent on their charity. Did she truly think she could leave him in a fit of pride and still live well?
A single hairpin of hers used to cost over a hundred taels, and every piece of gold and jade sent to her had been of the finest quality. Where else could she find such luxury and status?
Ji Hanyi shook her head again. “There’s no need. Those things belong to the Xie Family.”
Xie Yuheng stared fixedly at her face, trying to find the slightest sign that she was lying, but there was none.
In the end, he shook his head in exasperation and gave a cold laugh. “Excellent.”